TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar came under fire from the Congress for the government’s failure and inordinate delay in recovering the bodies of the dead in the Canacona building tragedy, accusing him for being more pre-occupied with Narenda Modi’s visit to Goa than concentrating on the rescue operation.
Both CLP spokesman Reginaldo Lourenco and former PWD minister Churchill Alemao said that Parrikar’s inquiry panel headed by a retired officer will not do justice to the job in unearthing the truth and punishing the guilty. They demanded that only a judicial probe can unearth the entire gamut of issues and fix responsibility and punish the guilty.
Addressing a joint press conference, the duo made it clear that arresting a small time TCP official will not give justice to the dead. “The chief minister went into top gear to arrest Tarun Tejpal. He used all possible laws to ensure that Tejpal was arrested. We demand similar action by the chief minister in the building collapse case and give justice to the dead,” Reginaldo demanded.
The CLP spokesman said the congress is not indulging in politics on the issue, but at the same time demanded the recovery of the bodies. “Is our government so busy with Modi’s visit that it has no time to expedite the rescue operation. We are only asking for justice for the poor workers”, he said.
The former PWD minister lambasted the government for the failure to recover the bodies trapped inside the debris. “Parrikar has no right to invite Modi to Goa when Goa is grieving for the people who died in the Canacona tragedy. The chief minister is busy making preparations for Modi’s visit when the kith and kin of the deceased are demanding the recovery of the dead,” he said.
Both Reginaldo and Churchill demanded to know the delay by the police to arrest one of the directors of Bharat Developers when he was very much present at the spot after the collapse. “The government should ensure that the builder does not get the bail,” Churchill demanded.
Referring to chief minister’s statement that the permission for the project was issued during the Congress regime, Churchill reminded Parrikar that work on the project had started after the BJP returned to power.
Churchill said the BJP and RSS cadre would have created a ruckus had the building collapsed during the Congress rule. He, however, had no answer when questioned as to what prevents the Congress workers and youth activists from agitating against the government.
